Taking the Long Way
by Sakura-chan88
Summary: Have you ever wondered what would happen if Kaede never made a rosary? I have and this is what I came up with. *Full summary inside* Please R+R!!!
1. A Different Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha... But this story is mine...**

This is my third story out... So far- if I am not mistaken- all of my stories have been completely, 100% original. Here is a better summary for you:

_This story begins at the start of the second episode. Inuyasha is trying to claim the Shikon no Tama and Kagome will not give it up. Kaede had thought the seal her sister cast to be unbreakable, thus no rosary was created. This assumption could prove fatal, for everyone... Is fate non-existent or are there other ways to the same end?_

I am not sure that made it clearer, but I cannot summarize it any better than that. Sorry...

Translations for this chapter are as follows:

Ano: Well...(used mostly during thoughts)   
Arigato: Thank you   
Goshinboku: Sacred tree   
Hanyou: Half demon   
-Oneesama: older sister (informal)   
Onegai: Please   
-Sama: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Master   
Youkai: Demon   
Yameru: stop   
Youki: Demon powers, demon aura

Well, I think that is about it. On with the story! Enjoy! ^_^

  


  


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Author: Sakura-chan88   
Title: Taking the Long Way   
Chapter: A Different Beginning

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It would be nice if we could put away and throw out   
everything except what really mattered...

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She stood frozen in the spot. This boy, this _hanyou_ that had just saved her life was threatening her and all over a jewel. The Shikon no Tama, which had come from inside her body... _'What is going on...? He... He's not on our side?'_

"If you don't want to die from my claws, hand over the Shikon no Tama," he stated, flexing his claws. Inuyasha, whom she had just released from a seal, stood there snarling.

"Kagome," called the elderly woman named Kaede. She stood in front of her, watching the hanyou with a critical eye. "You should never give up that jewel."

Kagome looked to the glowing ball in her hand. _'The Shikon no Tama is a mysterious jewel that can increase a youkai's power...?'_ She didn't exactly understand the reason that this jewel was important, but what she had witnessed with the centipede was more than enough to convince her that Kaede knew what she spoke of.

"I won't go easy on anyone," Inuyasha growled, charging forward. Kagome sprinted away from the man as fast as her feet would allow. "Especially a woman who stinks of the smell I hate!"

She could only pray that something would distract him or that he would change his mind, though she seriously doubted either one. _'Where am I supposed to go...? The well! I'll get there in time, won't I?'_ She was still running with the hanyou mere inches behind her when her foot hooked itself on one of the centipede youkai's remaining bones. A rush of air blew against her neck as she watched locks of her hair fall before her eyes.

Inuyasha skidded to a halt, flexing his claws with a smirk. "Next time, I'll cut you in half!"

"Hey, you are really trying to kill me!" She shouted, looking at him in disbelief.

"Shoot!"

The villagers loosed their bows and their arrows flew. Inuyasha spun around, breaking the arrows as he bound toward the men. With this distraction, Kagome made a run for it. Judging by the where she came from when she had first encountered him, she made a vague guess to the well's whereabouts.

Behind her, the sound of men screaming and a tree -or two- falling were heard. "Who do you think I am?" he asked arrogantly. "Don't you dare think I am like that dead wimpy youkai!"

******

"Ka-Kaede-sama," one of the villagers stuttered, "breaking Inuyasha's seal really wasn't such a good idea, after all!"

Kaede watched as the hanyou leapt from his place on the tree trunk, having noticed the girls disappearance. "Well, well... He hasn't changed at all," she mumbled. _'This is most troubling... No one but Kikyo-oneesama should have been able to break that spell,'_ she thought. "I was not prepared for this. The seal... Please be safe, Kagome."

******

"Did you think you could escape so easily, wench?" a voice sneered from overhead.

_'Onegai, I'm almost there... I can make it, I can!'_ Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she took in a pain filled breath. It was so close! As the voice called down to her again, she looked back.

"Give up! You are really trying my patience," he yelled. He was too close for her to do anymore when he attempted to strike her again. She dropped to the ground in hope of throwing him off. It worked. He lost balance, landing on the ground face-first.

Hope flooded the girl as she ran, but it didn't last as she noticed that, now, she was heading straight back to Goshinboku. In one last desperate attempt, she yelled for help. "Somebody, anybody, onegai HELP!"

******

"Somebody, anybody, onegai HELP!"

The plea was heard by a stranger, miles away(A/N: wow that was loud. ^_^). He merely listened, uncaring. Yet, curiosity engulfed him as the wind carried a scent to him. The scent of the pursuer.

"So... He has awakened..."

******

"Keh! Do you really think anyone will help you?" Inuyasha asked with a snort.

"Well, it was worth a try!" She screamed, looking back again. He had stopped, a smirk planted on his face. In confusion, she stopped to look at him questioningly.

"It's time that I end this game," he stated and with little effort he shot forward at a speed that dazed the girl. She turned to run again and thought better to change direction and run through the wood instead of the straight-away path. "That's not going to help you. Give up!"

The sound of a few more trees hitting the ground were heard. Kagome's heart sped up and she swore that it would have burst right then and there, especially since she had risked another backward glance. She barely saw the hanyou as she hit a solid barrier head first, flying a few feet back. The jewel flew from her grasp, directly between Inuyasha and herself.

To her surprise, he did not attempt to get it. He stood, snarling at something over her shoulder. She looked behind her, trying to locate his distraction, which was not a hard thing to do.

A man, with silver hair and uncaring, cold, golden eyes that matched Inuyasha's, stood behind her, unphased in the least. A spiked armor plate crossed his left shoulder while fur of some kind hung from his right. The wind stirred the leaves around his feet, circling about him. His gaze never left Inuyasha. 

"Inuyasha, you have awaken..." The man stated emotionlessly.

"Sesshomaru," he snarled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to finish what should have ended 50 years ago," he replied, flying toward the man. Kagome scurried out of the way, reaching for the Shikon no Tama as another hand made a grab for it. Inuyasha scooped the jewel up in his clawed hands, holding it tight.

The man named Sesshomaru connected his fist with Inuyasha's stomach, making the hanyou stumble backwards, gasping for breath, yet the jewel remained in his grasp.

"Put the jewel down so that you may fight," came a cold command. Sesshomaru held up a clawed right hand; the index and middle finger glowed a fluorescent green. _'What is he...? A youkai...?'_ Kagome wondered as she watched the duel unfold in utter amazement and confusion.

"Never!" Inuyasha huffed, lunging at his attacker.

Sesshomaru countered with a whip of sorts. It came from his glowing fingers and was controlled by a mere flick of his wrists. The whip, which Kagome deducted as having been formed from his youki, struck at Inuyasha, who parried with his kimono's sleeve. The whip was deflected, then hit the hanyou again, in the shoulder, causing him to turn sideways.

With a clear chest shoot, the whip snapped its target with enough power to make him stumble back with a grunt. Sesshomaru walked over to the man with expressionless features and Inuyasha watched with caution.

"You still act like a child after all of this time… Have you learned nothing?"

Inuyasha snorted. "I learned that humans can't be trusted," he stated, glaring at the girl… Through her was more like it. _'He's talking about that Kikyo woman he mistook me for, isn't he? What happened...?'_

Before she could finish the mentally formed question, Sesshomaru had grabbed Inuyasha around the neck by his right hand, hanging him in the air. His left hand now glowed a deadly forest green. Horror filled the girl. No matter what he had done to her, she didn't want him to die! There were so many questions...

"This will be your end Inuyasha," Sesshomaru vowed. Inuyasha's eyes widened when the man brought the arm to eye level. "DIE!"

" **YAMERU!**" Kagome yelled. The men looked at her in bafflement. "Onegai... don't kill him..." Inuyasha's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed in an accusing stare.

"Why do you wish to save his pathetic life?" Sesshomaru asked, portraying no thought.

"He saved my life. I'm only returning the favor," she explained. She felt intimidated by this stranger, but didn't let it show. Or she tried to, at least.

"I hope you know what you're doing girl," he said. He clenched his hand, punching the hanyou in the stomach. The blow knocked Inuyasha unconscious and he fell to the ground in a heap to Sesshomaru's feet. "You have only prolonged his suffering. I will strike him down when we next meet."

"Why?"

"You are too nosey for your own good," the man muttered in irritation.

"Ano… Arigato," she whispered.

"For what?" She jumped in surprise, thinking she hadn't said it loud enough for him to hear.

"S-saving me," she stuttered, staring at the man in shock.

"Don't misunderstand," Sesshomaru ordered. "I came to kill my brother." She gasped. _'Brother!?'_ "What you did was honorable, even if you are a mere human. That is the only reason I slew neither him nor you." He turned around, walking away into the surrounding forest. His voice echoed through the air. "Next time I will not hesitate to do so."

Kagome's knees went out from below her and she slumped to the ground, replaying the days events. It was hard to believe that just this morning she was waking up to the smell of fried eggs and her mother singing in modern day Tokyo. She remembered seeing her grandfather reading a local newspaper and her brother Sota standing in the Shrine well's doorway with a bowl of instant Ramen, whining. Then came a scratching behind her and arms encircling her.

She shivered at the memory of the centipede's touch. She really didn't want to be here and she wasn't staying any longer than need be.

She rose on shaky legs, walking to the fallen hanyou. There she knelt, watching the boy's even breathing. He looked younger by fifteen years from when he was awake. She brushed hair from his face, remembering his look. Whatever it was that had caused her to stop Sesshomaru wasn't just curiosity and she knew that. Yet, whatever it was, she hadn't the faintest idea.

Locating the jewel, which had remained in his hand, she retrieved it with a half-hearted sigh of relief. _'Time to go,'_ she thought, rising to her feet.

As she headed back toward the time traveling well, she took one last backward glance at Inuyasha. He wasn't someone she would forget easily.

  


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but reality is just cruel

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A/N: Ano… There you go! What do you think? I bet you are all wondering what happened to Tetsusaiga. Don't worry, it will be included in this story, however, if you think back, Sesshomaru didn't think about Inuyasha having a connection with the sword until Jaken mentioned something… What happened to Jaken, you ask? Read further to see! Muwahahahaha!

Ahem… Anyway! Just for a further note- for those that like learning/seeing Japanese words in dialog- when Sesshomaru say's "DIE!", if I had put the Japanese word- and I originally did- it would have said "SHINE!" For those that don't know how to pronounce Japanese words correctly, it would sound funny. It's pronounced 'Shin'+'eh' not 'shine'. Makes a big difference, huh?

Ano… Good, bad, could be better? Comments, questions, suggestions, anything goes! Readers, review! If you want to, I mean… *gives puppy dog eyes*

Hope you liked it!

Ja ne minna!


	2. A Few Explinations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha... But this story is mine...**   
  
Alright! I am sooooo happy to see so many reviews! I am sorry for such a long pause, but I was on my spring break from my wretched high school and had virtually no internet access. Enough excuses, though! On with the story!   
  
Translations for the day:   
Chotto: Hey   
Hai: Yes   
Jiichan: Grandfather   
Iie: No   
Ite: Ouch, sore, hurt   
Kami-sama: God, deity   
Miko: Priestess   
Nani: What   
Oneechan: Sister (sis)   
Oneesama: Older sister (with much respect)   
Tadaima: I'm home   
  


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Author: Sakura-chan88   
Title: Taking the Long Way   
Chapter: A Few Explanations   
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    She walked toward the well in a daze. Everything was so confusing. First he saves her, then he attacks her, then gets knocked unconscious by his brother... Who was that man anyway?   
  
    She paused, listening to the sounds of forest night life that circled around her. It was so tranquil; a complete contrast to the earlier events that evening. It was also frightening. She, being alone and vulnerable, was open for any dangers that lurked in the shadowed wood.   
  
    The clearing that held the well now lay before her. With a glimmer of hope, she raced forward. This well had to be the way back. It just had to! Yet, when she peered inside, all she saw was darkness. A darkness that put the night to shame.   
  
    She glanced behind her, searching for any watchers. Something told her that this well's abilities should remain a secret, if it had any at all. With that thought, she grasped the vines that led into the well and began to descend them, slowly.   
  
    Half way to the unseen bottom, she felt the hairs on her arms and those on her neck begin to raise as an overwhelming, yet welcomed, power filled the seemingly endless space. A warming blue river untangled her body from the now vanishing vines as it gently brought her to the ground.   
  
******   
  
    He rose slowly from his pain filled rest. His chest felt like fire after that blow Sesshomaru had dealt him. He growled as another ache shot through him. Sesshomaru would get what he deserved one of these days. However, the first thing on his to-do list was track down that annoying girl and the Shikon no Tama she carried.   
  
     _"YAMERU! Onegai... don't kill him..."_ pleaded a voice from the back of his darkening mind. What was she thinking, saving him after he'd tried to kill her?   
  
     _"He saved my life. I'm only returning the favor,"_ it answered. She had saved him, because he had saved her... Was that all though? Her eyes were curious as well as frightened. What was it about her? This...   
  
    "Kagome..."   
  
******   
  
    She awoke, slightly stiff from the ground, to the sounds of birds chirping. Above her was a vast darkness, beneath her, the dirt covered ground.   
  
    She rose to her feet, placing her hands in front of her as she searched for walls of some kind. She easily found one, only steps away. She then searched for a latter or vine of some kind. All she could remember was that she had gone into a well for one reason or another...   
  
    "Ite," she winced as her foot was the first to locate the wooden latter. Placing one hand and a foot on the lateral bars, she made her way to the top. She was in the shrine's well house.   
  
    "Hai, she was grabbed by a giant monster!" a voice cried from the entrance as she pulled herself over the rim.   
  
    "Souta! Stop babbling and tell me where Kagome really is," another voice commanded.   
  
    "I saw oneechan, though, jiichan!" Souta said. The shooji shot open and sunlight poured into the dark room, creating a small spot light on the teenage girl who sat in front of the well, staring at a small jewel in her hands. _'Shikon no Tama? I... remember it now... It came from inside my body,'_ she thought, looking to her side, just above her left hip. Blood stained the uniform she wore.   
  
    She winced as a pain crawled up her side. The wound needed tending to.   
  
    "Oneechan!" Souta screeched, running toward the preoccupied girl. He turned his gaze to see what it was that she was so enthralled with and gasped. "Jiichan, oneechan's hurt!"   
  
    "Kagome!? Where have you been?" asked the elderly man. He came toward her, spotting the blood on her uniform. "What happened?"   
  
    She stood numbly, ignoring the concerned pair, and made her way to the house. Opening the front door, she tossed her shoes to the side, shouting out, "Tadaima!", and walked the stairs to her room. Buyo lay on her bed, stretching as his owner entered the room.   
  
    "You have such a simple life," she told him, sitting next to the cat. "No time traveling for you... 500 years in the past, huh? Sengoku Jidai... Edo... What was all of that? Inuyasha... Sesshomaru... Brothers? None of it makes any sense! How can I go back in time? How can such a thing exist?" She soliloquized, looking at the jewel once more.   
  
    The ball gleamed a light pink as she held it. When she had held it after Kaede had pulled it from the centipede youkai's remains, it had been dull; a tarnished look about it. Yet, now it shined in the sun and even without it. The jewel the hanyou had wanted... Inuyasha... What a strange man.   
  
******   
  
    "Hmm...? I thought I felt it... I did, briefly. The Shikon no Tama... is back?"   
  
******   
  
    "Mama," Kagome called as she sat down to dinner. A lady with chocolate colored curls and kind brown eyes responded to her.   
  
    "Hai, Kagome?"   
  
    "I was wondering... Can I go back?"   
  
    "What for?" She asked. She had been worried for her daughter. When she came home, she had found her on her bed, sleeping soundly with Buyo stretched beside her, and a large blood stain on the side of her school uniform. She had rushed her to the hospital to have it looked at. The doctors stitched the wound and questioned her as to how the injury came about. She told them she did not know. Kagome said the same.   
  
    Later, after they got back home, she had asked for an explanation, but, to be frank, she couldn't believe what she heard. Time travel, Shikon no Tama, youkai, hanyou.... These were all fairy tale's told to children. She just didn't know what to think.   
  
    "I have a few questions for Kaede-bachan," replied Kagome, as she picked at her food. "I... want to understand what's going on..."   
  
    "When?" Kagome looked up with a hopeful smile filled with excitement.   
  
    "Now?"   
  
    "It's awfully late, Kagome. Wait until tomorrow," she replied, smiling at the her anxious daughter. It wasn't that she didn't believe her, it was that something so bizarre would take a while to settle her mind. If Kagome said such a thing happened, then it happened.   
  
******   
  
    "Itakimasu!" She shouted, heading toward the shrine's well house. It was early and the sun had just started to fill the sky. Souta, thank Kami-sama, was still asleep. He had plagued her with questions until he fell asleep. She sighed. He could be really annoying sometimes.   
  
    Sunlight poured into the small room as she slid the shooji open, thinking of only one thing. The Shikon no Tama and Inuyasha's interest in it. _'Why is it so important to him? Would he really have killed me?'_ she wondered, walking to the well with slow, cautious steps. Last night she had been so sure that she wanted- and needed- to go back, but now she wasn't sure anymore. Sengoku Jidai was not the most friendliest of era's. _'Baka. Of course he would have,'_ she reprimanded herself, sitting on the wells wooden lip, staring into the darkened bottom. With one deep breath, she bound into it, closing her eyes as the gentle blue light once again engulfed her.   
  
    The ground slowly materialized under her, creating a soft landing. Pulling herself up the vines and unto the grass covered ground, she looked at the place afore her. Just as the previous days, the sun shone bright and birds sang cheerfully. This world- this time- was a soothing, calming type of place, if you ignored all of the death and destruction.   
  
    "To the village," she sighed, walking toward the village she had been in when the centipede attacked. She expected the residents to be hostile when she arrived, since she had, in a way, been the one to cause the ruin. However, she was pleasantly surprised to find the villages genuinely happy to see her.   
  
    She made her way to the hut Kaede lived in, hoping to find the woman there. She was.   
  
    "Kagome, ka?" The elderly woman asked her as she stood in the door way. "You have come back?"   
  
    "I wish to learn about this," she responded, holding the Shikon no Tama in sight. "And the hanyou- Inuyasha."   
  
    "Ah... Hai," she sighed, beckoning the girl into the room. "Come, sit. Are you hungry?" Kagome shook her head. "Very well, then...   
  
    "The Shikon no Tama is a jewel that has the ability to raise a youkai's power. If in the wrong hands, it may become a very dangerous item. However, in your hands, the jewel is purified and unable to be used for such a thing. Kikyo-oneesama was its previous protector and she had it burned with her when she died. That jewel is not something to take lightly."   
  
    "So... Youkai are after the jewel?" Kagome asked, looking at the small orb in her hand.   
  
    "Iie. Anything with an evil heart will search for the Shikon no Tama. Those with corrupt souls will find a way to use it to their will. You must guard it as oneesama did."   
  
    "W-Why me, though?" She stuttered in confusion, closing her fist around the small jewel. She could still see the pale pink glow from the Shikon no Tama, even through her hand.   
  
    "Because, the power you have, your looks, and the fact that the jewel was inside you... You are Kikyo-oneesama's reincarnation," she explained. "Oneesama was the most powerful Miko around, so the people entrusted it in her care, certain that she would keep it pure and safe. You have to do the same. You must protect the Shikon no Tama with your life. Give it to no one."   
  
     _'I'm... Kikyo's reincarnation? The same Kikyo Inuyasha mistook me for?'_   
  
    "The jewel will be pure when in your hands."   
  
    "Kikyo died protecting the jewel?"   
  
    "Hai," she replied, looking to the sky with her only seeing eye. She looked back to Kagome, muttering, "I must seal this hut. With the jewel here, Inuyasha will make himself known soon enough."   
  
    "Nani?" She asked, her eyes widening at the thought of his earlier threats. He wasn't going to give up, she should have known.   
  
******   
  
    He raced through the woods, locating her scent. He had tracked her back to the well. It was strange. Her scent seemed to enter the well... But it didn't go any further than that.   
  
    A newer trail from her was easily sensed, leading toward the village Kikyo once resided in. Off he was, searching for the mysterious girl that had saved him, not once, but twice. Unsealing him may not have been the smartest thing for her to do, but he was grateful to her. For the whole Sesshomaru thing... He was more than grateful for that. He surely would have died at his half-brothers powerful poison claws, and it was one of the more painful ways to die.   
  
    As he neared the village, the scent grew stronger. He took to the trees, locating the girl from above. She was in a hut with the same elderly lady that he had seen her with before. The one that had warned her not to give up the Shikon no Tama.   
  
    "Who is he?" the girl asked.   
  
    "Inuyasha is a hanyou that has been after the jewel for a long time. Kikyo-oneesama was the one that pinned him to Goshinboku 50 years ago," replied the one-eyed woman.   
  
    "50 years ago?" gasped the girl. "T-that long?"   
  
    "Hai. That is yet another reason that I can say with great certainty that you are Kikyo-oneesama's reincarnation." It was his turn to gasp, and he promptly did so.   
  
     _'That girl... Kikyo's reincarnation?'_   
  
    "The seal she placed on Inuyasha was unbreakable by anyone but herself. His seal should have lasted through eternity," the woman finished.   
  
    "May I ask how you know all of this?" the girl named Kagome asked.   
  
    "I am Kikyo's younger sister, Kaede. Also a Miko, though my powers are shallow compared to that of hers."   
  
     _'Kaede? That little girl is the old hag?'_ he thought, sitting in the tree above, listening to the two chat about him. _'So, it's been fifty years? Why don't I sense Kikyo... Wait! Reincarnation! Kikyo's... dead?'_   
  
    "How did she die?" Kagome asked, answering Inuyasha's mentally formed question.   
  
    "She was slashed across her right shoulder; a fatal wound. With the last of her strength, she sealed Inuyasha away, stopping his escape with the Shikon no Tama. He had earlier attacked the village and had succeeded in acquiring the jewel. How she was wounded is beyond my knowledge," responded the Miko with a slight sigh.   
  
    That day... He remembered it all too well. She was supposed to have brought the damned stone to him, yet when she showed up, she had shot three arrows at him. The bitch actually betrayed him!   
  
    With sudden, renewed anger, he leapt from the tree, straight toward the hut with its unsuspecting occupants.   
  
    "Senkon Tessou!" His claws extended, glowing in a bright yellow hue as his youki channeled itself into his attack. The claws merely scratched an the wood, leaving no sign of every having felt such a blow. "What the...?"   
  
    "Ohayo, Inuyasha," Kaede called, walking toward the window. Kagome sprung up behind her, looking to the hanyou in fright.   
  
    "Inu... yasha... What are you doing here?" She asked, backing away slightly.   
  
    "Give up the jewel!"   
  
    "Iie," Kagome stated calmly, sitting back down with a slight frown. "This jewel... Why do you want it? You seem strong as it is..." he growled, glaring at the curious girl.   
  
    "He seeks to become a youkai," the elderly Miko replied. His gaze snapped to the woman, glaring for all he was worth. She had no right to tell this girl anything about him.   
  
    "Oh..."   
  
    "Give me the jewel!" he snarled, striking at the hut once more.   
  
    "Iie," the girl responded, staring at the purified orb.   
  
    "Give it up!"   
  
    "Iie! You can't touch me from there, so I'm not in any real danger," she stated nonchalantly, her gaze dead set on the hanyou.   
  
     _'She's actually challenging me?'_ he thought at the sight of her defiance. "You can't stay in there forever."   
  
    "I don't have to leave anytime soon."   
  
******   
  
    She just couldn't believe it. She had been stuck in that hut for three days now. Inuyasha seemed to be a very stubborn boy. He didn't even _sleep_! Kami-sama, what was she to do?   
  
    "Give up yet?" an arrogant voice called from an overlooking tree. Inuyasha lay on a branch, surveying the land with an attentive gaze. He had been like that the whole time.   
  
    "Never," she stated sleepily. It was getting late, now. In approximately nine hours, she would have been stuck in Sengoku Jidai for four days and the thought was making her more than a little grumpy. "Do you?"   
  
    "Nope."   
  
    "Don't you ever sleep?" she hissed.   
  
    "Keh! Don't need to," replied the hanyou with an amused snort. "I'm not some sensitive _human_."   
  
    "Still, it's hard to believe that you don't sleep," she said, looking around the hut in boredom. She had had nothing to do for the past few days and it was getting rather tiresome.   
  
    "Well, I don't need to anytime soon. You might as well go to sleep."   
  
    "Inuyasha, I am surprised at your stubbornness," Kaede said, staring blankly at the hanyou.   
  
    "Keh!" he snorted, looking to the sky from his perch.   
  
    "Kaede-sama! My daughter," called a woman from the village. Something was troubling her. "She needs your assistance."   
  
    "I am on my way," the elderly Miko responded, standing to leave.   
  
    "Ch-chotto! Where are you going!?" Kagome stuttered. Surely she didn't think it was safe to leave with him right there!   
  
    "I need to tend the villagers. The seal will hold, you will not be harmed."   
  
    "You sure about that babaa?" Inuyasha smirked, flexing a claw.   
  
    "You would not harm me, Inuyasha," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.   
  
    "What makes you so sure about that?"   
  
    "Just a guess," she stated, walking away from the protection of her home. Inuyasha stood there, sputtering at the uncaring manner she had left with. He just couldn't believe his ears- not that they ever betrayed him or anything.   
  
     _'Well, she may be brave, but I'm not,'_ Kagome thought, watching the Miko in awe. Now, how was she going to get past him?   
  
******   
  
    He could sense something was wrong, out of place, which was the only reason he allowed the Miko to live. And of course, give the girl a glimmer of false hope. Maybe that way she would be less cautious when trying to leave...   
  
    "KAEDE-SAMA!" a shout rang throughout the air. Unknown as to why he did it, Inuyasha ran toward the voice.   
  
    A village girl, about the same age as Kagome, levitated from the ground, wielding some type of butcher's knife. With his sight, the thin sheet of blood was easily seen and the scent was none other than Kaede's.   
  
    "What the...?" The woman flew towards him, lifting the knife as she prepared to strike. He, in return, brandished his claws with a smirk. "So you want to get rid of me, do you? Go ahead and try!"   
  
    "Iie, Inuyasha!" He looked to a nearby hut in the general direction of the voice. Kaede stood limply, huffing as blood formed a stain at her shoulder. "You mustn't harm the girl. She is being controlled."   
  
    "Kaede-babaa? What are you saying? She tried to kill you," he reminded her.   
  
    "Look at her! She is human, yet she floats," Kaede noted, watching the girl as she struck at the hanyou. He knocked her aside with ease. "More are coming... Inuyasha..."   
  
    "I know!"   
  
******   
  
    Inuyasha had left at the sound of a woman's shout, but she had slowly dozed off and didn't exactly hear what was said. Even though she was curious as to what caused such a disturbance, Kagome wasn't going to give up the chance to return home. She ran from the hut, straight for the well. Nothing was going to stop her.   
  
    That was, nothing was going to stop her until she got there. She had found the portal with ease and was about to hop in when a strange feeling stopped her. She turned to find a leaf, as it fell gentle to the ground, being cut in half by an invisible razor.   
  
    Closing her eyes to clear her vision, she was confronted with taunt wire going across the cleared meadow. "Hair?"   
  
    "You see it, do you?" She looked up. There, standing on the razor sharp hair, was a woman who looked roughly twenty years or so. "That matters not," she stated.   
  
    Kagome had a feeling that this was not a woman she wanted to mess with. _"Anything with an evil heat will search for the Shikon no Tama,"_ a voice rang. "W-what do you want?"   
  
    "The jewel, of course," she giggled. _'Definitely not someone I want to mess with.'_ Taking in a deep breath, she pushed herself over the wells edge, bracing herself for impact.   
  
******   
  
A/N: Ano... that's it. It is Yura and I know that I changed it around, but THAT IS WHAT MY STORY IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE!!! I should have the next chapter up on Monday...   
  
Anyway, good, bad, could be better? Comments, questions, suggestions, anything goes! Readers, onegai, review!   
  
Ja ne minna! 


	3. The First Rescue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. All rights to Inuyasha are currently owned by Rumiko Takahashi. Bummer...**   
  
Alright! Next chapter is up! Enjoy! ^_^   
  
Translations:   
Baka: Fool, idiot, stupid   
Inu: Dog   
Katana: Sword   
Kuso: shit   
  
Translated phrase for the day:   
Hai to iie: Yes and no   
  


**~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~   
Author: Sakura-chan88   
Title: Taking the Long Way   
Chapter: The First Rescue   
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~**

  
  
  
    He just couldn't believe it. The old miko was wounded trying to help the girl, yet she insisted that he leave her be and not harm her. _'They're being controlled, but by who?'_   
  
    "Kaede-babaa, do you know who is doing this?"   
  
    "Iie. There are hairs wrapped about their wrists, though," she replied. "Who ever is at the end of the strands is the one in controll."   
  
    "Can you see it?"   
  
    "Iie. Kagome will be able to, but I cannot. Not with my current situation."   
  
    "Kagome?" He had forgotten about the girl and now, with his attention back on the girl, he noticed that her scent was fading fast. "Kuso! That girl," he growled. An invisible force held him back as it grasped his arms and feet.   
  
******   
  
    She had explained everything to her mother, but she still refused to let her go with 'Inuyasha wouldn't let me back.' She _really_ needed to get some sleep and perhaps take a bath.   
  
    "I want to hear all of it, Kagome," her mother said, sitting down next to her. "I feel that you aren't telling me something..."   
  
    "I told you everything, mama. I couldn't get back because of Inuyasha. He wouldn't let me go," she reiterated.   
  
    "Is he the hanyou?" She nodded. "Why does he want it?"   
  
    Kagome tightened her grip on the Shikon no Tama as she explained. "He want's it so that he can become a youkai."   
  
    "Oh..."   
  
    "So, you think its okay to tell everyone everything about me?" She leapt a good few feet at the sound of his voice. Inuyasha stood in the door way, smirking.   
  
    "Inuyasha! Wh-what are you doing here!? How'd you get h-here?" she stuttered. Surely this wasn't a good thing for her.   
  
    "Kaede-baaba say's that you can see this 'hair' stuff that's controlling the village girls," he said, studying her.   
  
    "That's it?" she asked, both skeptical and relieved.   
  
    "Keh!" he snorted. "Of course not."   
  
     _'Oh, Kami-sama! What am I supposed to do!?'_ she asked, jumping to her feet. She took off, running from the boy. It took all of her will power not to look back.   
  
******   
  
    "Oi! Wh-what are you doing?" he growled as the woman Kagome had been talking to walked toward him. She reached up and tweeked his ears once.   
  
    "They _are_ real," she cried in delight. Her smile changed quickly, though. She shoved him slightly as a glared formed. "Do not harm my daughter."   
  
    "N-nani?" he sputtered, taken aback by the sudden command.   
  
    Her smile came back so suddenly that the hanyou had to literally stop himself from running. "Besides, I think that she likes you." With that said, the lady left to finish dinner.   
  
    He wondered briefly if the woman had gone senile or not. After all, Kagome more than likely told her mother that he had tried to kill her... Why else would she have told him not to harm her.   
  
    Speaking of her...   
  
    "INUYASHA!"   
  
******   
  
    The name escaped her lips before she had time to stop it. She had been grabbed around the wrists by a stream of hair and dragged into the well. The hair, being as taunt as they were, cut into her wrists, causing her to wince in pain as it dragged her over the wells lip in Sengoku Jidai. The forest rushed by in the blink of an eye.   
  
    Somewhere, in the back of her mind, since the front was currently consumed by fear, she knew that the woman from earlier that day, the reason why she had left this era the way she had, was behind this.   
  
    The forest opened into a vast rock covered area. There was a large, steep slope that swooped down and settled into a platuea over a large piece of country land. Her breath caught in her throat as the center came into view. There, hanging in the air, was a large web of hair which held a ball in its center. The scantly clothed woman from before stood on a strand, smirking as a giggle escaped her.   
  
    "Who are you?" Kagome asked, looking at the woman with fearful eyes.   
  
    "It is of no importance, since you will die soon. I am Yura." She giggled again, in pure glee, "and I will soon have the Shikon no Tama and some lovely new hair to play with," she breathed, admiring a shining silver strand. "I am glad that he escaped from me earlier, or I would have bloodied this beautiful hair." Yura gave a sad, heartfelt sigh. "It's a shame that the hair isn't properly cared for. No matter, though. It will be my best yet."   
  
    "Nani? You're not making sense. What do you want with me? Why didn't you just take the jewel?" She asked as her world began to swim. The loss of blood was slowly dragging her into unconsciousness.   
  
    Yura smiled and looked to the girl. The hair that grasped her wrists, pulled her upward and stretched her arms so that every vital point was in clear view. The woman raised her katana. Kagome fainted.   
  
    This is how Inuyasha found her.   
  
******   
  
    He was startled, but not because she had been captured. He was startled because she had called for him and only him. No more of that 'Somebody, anybody' pleaing of hers. He was confused, yes, but also... thrilled?   
  
    He bound off to the well and hopped in. As he leapt from the well and into Sengoku Jidai, he caught a faint glipse of Kagome as the hair pulled her through the woods. It was very fast, and he soon lost track of it. Yet, with the smell of blood, he could easily find her.   
  
     _'Blood!?'_ The sudden realization worried him. She was only human and with that much blood oozing from her cuts, she would bleed to death. His pace quickened very much, yet he noticed it not.   
  
    The forest opened into a vast, rocky clearing. Looking to the sky, from where the scent of blood grew strongest, Inuyasha found Kagome suspended in the air by threads of hair- visible to him only by the blood that seeped down them. Next to Kagome, a woman stood in the air, holding a katana above the unconscious girl.   
  
    "Who are you?" he questioned, flexing his claws as he stepped forward. The woman laughed.   
  
    "Inuyasha, you are predictable," she giggled, lowering the weapon. "I'm so glad you could join us. Your hair is due for a trim."   
  
    "Who are you?" he growled.   
  
    "Yura. Yura of the hair," she said, moving her hands as if pulling a few invisible threads.   
  
    His ears twitched as the rustling sounds of an approaching threat reached him. He jumped away from it, snarling. Another rustling came from above, which he also dodged with ease.   
  
    "What is this about?" he implored, leaping to a foothole in the cliff to bring himself closer to Yura. "Why didn't you just take the jewel and leave her?"   
  
    "Because, if I took the jewel and not her, you might not have come," she responded. "It was just a mere garuantee that you would. I figure that if you actually chase after a pathetic human and don't kill her, then something other than the jewel is on your mind."   
  
    "Are you implying that I have feelings for that _human_ girl?"   
  
    "Hai. Why else would you come? Surely you wouldn't risk your life over the jewel when someone like me possesses it," she giggled. "You cannot fight something you can't see, anyway."   
  
    He smirked, charging the woman. He leapt into the air, shouting, "I escaped once before, this time I'm not running!"   
  
    "Hmph. You think you'll survive then?" she wondered. "Let's try it then, shall we?"   
  
    Inuyasha felt the hairs wrap around his arms in helplessness. It isn't easy to dodge when in mid air, but he tried anyway, to no avail. In moments, he found himself suspended much like the young miko.   
  
    "That was rather dissapointing, Inuyasha," she dejected, frowning. "I didn't even break a sweat. And to think that Miko died sealing you to a tree."   
  
    "How... do you know me?" he asked, thinking as fast as he could. There just had to be a way out... _'Kagome.'_ But she was still unconscious.   
  
    "Everyone knows about you," she explained. "After all, you're the reason the Shikon no Tama vanished. If she hadn't died, we'd still be fighting that bitch over the jewel."   
  
    "Don't call her that," he snarled.   
  
    "Ano, if you want me to stop talking, then I'll just kill you now," she announced, raising the katana. "I am really looking forward to playing with your mane. It's really nice. Such a shame that it wasn't properly cared for." She leapt from the invisible perch to strike the hanyou. "Die!"   
  
    He twisted to the side and pulled with all his strength, bringing his arm down as if to punch the ground, knocking the katana out of her grasp. His other fist planted itself in Yura's stomach, sending her backward and down to the rocky floor. She landed hard.   
  
    "Keh. Was that all?" The hair holding him in place tightened and pulled back into their correct position, stronger than the last time.   
  
    "Why, I never," she huffed, her eyes blazing. "I think you need to be trained better, mutt." She flicked her wrist, snapped it back, then shot it forward, reaching for the boy. The katana raised, swung back, then darted forward, impaling Inuyasha's shoulder. Blood seeped from the wound as the katana flew back to Yura.   
  
     _'That's it! Blood,'_ he thought, putting a hand to the wound. "Ne, that hurt. But, I'd say it was worth it," he smirked. "Blades of Blood!"   
  
    The blades hurtled at Yura, who had no time to block such an attack. He smirked at himself. Yet, the smirk turned to a look of horror. The woman stood on the ground, her body reforming. He watched as one of the hairs, which had been covered in Kagome's blood, sewed the woman together, along with many others he assumed.   
  
    "Baka inu. I'm immortal," she hissed. "You cannot kill me."   
  
     _'What the hell? How-'_ his gaze snapped to the unconscious Miko. _'If only she'd wake up!'_   
  
    "Senkon Tessou!" he shouted, clawing at the hair that held him. The hair retied around his arms as soon as they were cut. There just wasn't any end to it. _'So, she is made of hair?'_ he mused. _'What would her weakness be?'_   
  
    "It's no use, Inuyasha," Yura giggled. "There is no end to my hair. Yours will be my most precious, though, so you should die happy!"   
  
    Again she lunged at the hanyou, katana raised laterally. The katana dug deep into his opposite shoulder. Ignoring the pain, Inuyasha brought his fist down, then drew it straight into the woman's stomach.   
  
    Yura was throw back several feet and connected with Kagome. The sudden loss of air had the waking girl gasping for breath. She coughed once, her eyes fluttering open. "Inu... yasha?"   
  
    "Stay wake, baka," he snarled as her head lolled backward. Once again, he reached for his shoulder. "Blades of Blood!" They sped forward, tearing through Kagome's bonds and Yura's body. "Senkon Tessou!" He snapped his chains and leapt for the miko, grabbing her as the ground grew closer.   
  
    Landing on the ground, he knelt, setting Kagome down, gently. She wouldn't last much longer.   
  
    The whistling of movement brought his attention back to the immortal threat. He looked to the fragile miko, then to Yura, and back again.   
  
    "Can you see the end of the strings?" he asked her. _'If the hair heals her,'_ he mused as Yura's body returned in bits, _'then she isn't the one controlling it.'_   
  
******   
  
    Her wrists were throbbing and her head spun. Kagome knew that she couldn't lose much more blood and live to tell the tale. The fact that Inuyasha had rescued her hadn't registared yet, because she was still in danger's way.   
  
    "Can you see the end of the strings?" he asked.   
  
    She searched the woman and noticed that the hair around her wrists were not the one's she controlled. They led to the ball she saw earlier. Where in the ball was impossible to tell.   
  
    "Hai to iie," she mumbled. "I know where you can find it, but not where it is."   
  
    "Where?"   
  
    She raised a shaking hand to point at the floating mass. "There, somewhere inside that ball," she whispered.   
  
    "What ball?" he implored, searching the sky.   
  
    "The ball of hair," she mumbled in confusion. "Right there." Her hand dropped to his shoulder, trying to steady herself. The feel of liquid sent her gaze to his shoulder. "Your bleeding, she gasped.   
  
    He snorted and brushed her hand away. Smirking, he stood, his hand reaching for the wound Kagome had accidently touched. "Last time," he shouted. "Blades of Blood!" They watched as some blades cut though an unseen barrier and others kept going.   
  
    "It worked," Kagome voiced. Skulls, dangling by threads of locks that once belonged to living beings, flooded forward. A red skull stood out among the others. Four strands of hair entered the skull and looped about Yura's arms.   
  
    "Oh, my home," Yura wailed. "Look what you did to it! All my treasures. The hair, my skulls, ruined. Tangled."   
  
    "Can you see it, now?" Kagome wondered, watching the woman with a weary gaze.   
  
    "Only the skulls," Inuyasha muttered.   
  
    "That's enough," she said. "The red skull- there's something about it. The hair connects to Yura." She winced in pain and let out a small gasp.   
  
******   
  
    The girl fell limply to her side, landing with a thud. "Kagome!" he yelled in concern, trying to waken the girl.   
  
    "Pay attention to the fight!" a command boomed furiously. Yura's pinky fingers folded, her index's flexing. She brought both palms out, then pulled.   
  
    Inuyasha heard the strings approach and jumped at the sighted skull before they reached their mark. He smirked as the katana rushed forward. Quickly judging the strings location on the tarnished blade, he swiped at it. He felt the predicted snapping and grabbed the hilt.   
  
    "Arigato," he jeered. "I needed a new weapon!" With that, he leapt again, bringing the katana down, burrying it point first in the red skull.   
  
    A soft intake of breath resounded from Yura, drawing Inuyasha's attention. Pieces of a severed comb clattered on the rocky floor beneath the hanyou, who decended to the ground at a slower pace, as he watched Yura fade into the evening.   
  
    He landed, looking at the comb. _'That was obvious,'_ he thought as he realized what the comb was. He reprimanded himself for not comprehending it sooner.   
  
    Walking over to Kagome, he lifted her, and checked to make sure she still had the jewel. Her hand clutched it for dear life, as if it was her only hope to survive. Ironic that it was the reason she was dying.   
  
    Inuyasha sighed and carried her back to the village where Kaede would heal her. He couldn't take the Shikon no Tama. Something held him back. He didn't want it, not right now, at least. _'I'll get it later.'_   
  
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~   
  
A/N: Ano, I hope you liked it. I had some major writer's block when I started writting this and broke through it after... One and a half weeks. Ouch...   
  
Anyway, tell me what you think. I want to know who you would like to be the next fight and who's the next to join the group, but keep in mind that Shippo still has his parents and Sango has her brother. The jewel has not been broken, yet. YET, people. I'm not sure if I'll have it broken... Don't worry, I'll give her reason's to stay.   
  
So, good, bad, could be better? Comments, questions, suggestion, anything goes. Creative critizism is appreciated.   
  
Ano, arigato to ja ne minna!


	4. Awaking to a Problem

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...**   
  
A/N: Sorry for the pace in between the updates. I've been busy... Well, let's get on with the story. Also, I'll remind you at the end too, on my bio I have a sign-up for a mailing list where you will receive an e-mail when I update. If you would like to, sign up today, okay!   
  
Translations for the day:   
Anchan: Older brother (affectionate)   
Kangei: welcome   
Kago: basket   
  
Translations corrections:   
Anou: Well, um. (Used in thought (Thank you Fawn for the correction))   
Chikuso: Shit (Thank you Fawn the panther for the correction)   
Kuso: Damn it   
Onegai: Please (Used as more of a beg)   
Kudasai: Please (Formal (thank you explainatron)   
  


**~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~   
Author: Sakura-chan88   
Title: Taking the Long Way   
Chapter: Awaking to a Problem   
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~**

  
  
@~{~@~{~@~{~@~{~@   
  
_At that time,   
whenever I closed my eyes..._   
  
@~{~@~{~@~{~@~{~@   
  
     Kaede wiped the sweat from her brow as she leaned away from the girl before her. She had finish bandaging the wounds received from the battle with Yura and turned to look at the hanyou whom had found a liking to the tree outside the window. She sighed. He had refused to tell her the details, then cursed her when she asked about the Shikon no Tama...   
  
     What was it that kept him from taking the jewel from the near-to-death miko?   
  
******   
  
     Inuyasha remained silent, watching his forest with minimal attention. He didn't understand... What was it about that girl? Why hadn't he taken the jewel...?   
  
     She looked so much like the miko he knew 50 years ago, who had died 50 years ago, but lived on in his memory. The girl... It was as if fate was teasing him!   
  
     He sighed and slumped back against the tree. Turning his head a fraction, he looked at the pale girl that lay beneath a fur Kaede had procured... She looked so fragile, but serene. She reminded him of Kikyo, but Kikyo had never looked frail, breakable. She was always strong and alert.   
  
     What happened to Kikyo, anyway? How had she died...?   
  
     Kaede had said she died after pinning him to Goshinboku, but how? She was never someone to be caught off guard, never left unarmed, never weak in strength- physical or spiritual. It didn't add up! Something just didn't fit well in this puzzle. Pieces were missing and the pieces he had... they didn't fit together... Kikyo...   
  
     How could such a thing be missing? What was the part to put them together!? What was it that had slain Kikyo..?   
  
     ... Why had she turned against him when they were so close to being together...?   
  
     Kikyo and Kagome... They were definitely two separate people...   
  
     But, then...   
  
     Why couldn't he take the jewel?   
  
     Her breathing was shallow, almost unnoticeable. Even with Kaede's help... If she lived through the night, he'd be surprised.   
  
******   
  
     "Shikon no Tama? You're back..."   
  
     The voice's owner smiled wantonly. It was going to be a fun way to pass a little free time...   
  
     "Manten," he called to his brother. "It is time to pay a visit to that bastard hanyou's home."   
  
     Hiten watched a grin spread across the other man's face and smirked. Another battle- that would end with the gain of immeasurable power- was just what they needed.   
  
******   
  
     It had been two days and the girl still slept on with Inuyasha close by. Every morning he expected to look into the hut and see a corpse clutching the Shikon no Tama. Every morning he was shocked to see the Shikon in the hands of a recovering teen.   
  
     She was strong, despite her appearance.   
  
     He smirked. _'She wouldn't last five minutes against me.'_   
  
     He turned back to look at the forest, watching as a butterfly flew around a tree, then landed on a flower in a clearing a few feet away. Over to his left, the village children played, their parents watching from the left, over in the rice field. Behind him, Kagome stirred.   
  
     Inuyasha's attention snapped to the girl, watching as she tossed and turned, mumbling incoherently. For a moment, he thought he heard something like... 'Gee-a-met- tree'... He shook his head in confusion. Confusion seemed to be the only feeling he had recently...   
  
     An itched formed on his left cheek with such suddenness that his hand squished it before he had even recognized the sensation. A minuscule, flattened body floated into his outstretched palm.   
  
     "Myouga-jijii?"   
  
     The said flea regrouped himself, popping back into size. His beady eyes surveyed the hanyou's face.   
  
     "Inuyasha-sama," the flea exclaimed. "It's good to have you back with the living!"   
  
     "What are you here for?"   
  
     The flea's eyes widened. "I heard rumor of the Shikon no Tama... Is it true? Someone really does possess the jewel?"   
  
     Inuyasha's eyes flickered to the girl laying on the futon inside the elderly miko's shabby housing. He could see a light pink sliver where her fingers parted. He growled.   
  
     "Hai."   
  
******   
  
     Myouga followed Inuyasha's line of vision to see what had caused his answer. To his surprise, he saw the miko Kikyo sleeping with the Shikon no Tama in her grasp. The more shocking part was not that she was there, but that she looked younger than she had 50 years ago at the time she was pronounced dead.   
  
     "The miko! Kikyo has been revived?" he wondered, bouncing toward the slumbering girl.   
  
     He was repelled by an unseen barrier surrounding the hut. Finding himself smashed against the tree and Inuyasha snorting in amusement displeased the flea.   
  
     "It's not Kikyo," Inuyasha stated, jumping to the ground.   
  
     Myouga looked at his master, seeing a lost and calculating look. He looked back to the girl... Of course she wasn't Kikyo. Kikyo wouldn't have slept through the arrival of two youkai - full or half.   
  
     His attention moved to the elderly woman making her way toward them with a bundle of herbs in the straw-woven kago. She was eyeing Inuyasha with suspicion, until she saw Myouga as he jumped to gain her acknowledgement. She tipped her head.   
  
     "Kangei, Myouga," she called. "What brings you here?"   
  
******   
  
     Inuyasha didn't bother to listen as Kaede explained to Myouga who Kagome was. He was content to watch the changes in the sleeping girl. She seemed to be growing strong every minute now. She had recovered her coloring over night, her breathing was becoming deeper, her movements more frequent. She'd even began mumbling coherently, saying something about 'Oden' and 'sneaky brat'...   
  
     She was tossing again. However, something was different. Sweat appeared on her forehead as the color drained from her face. Her breathing increased when the sky blackened. Something was very wrong....   
  
     "Run," she whispered, gasping and sitting up bolt right. Her eyes were crazed as she found the hanyou standing outside. "Run. They-"   
  
     Kaede gasped and ran into the hut to still Kagome as the girl began to throw off the furs. She was in a frenzy, pushing against the woman as she shouted.   
  
     "Inuyasha, watch out! They're here-"   
  
     The hanyou missed the rest of her words as a shock of electricity ran through his veins. He cried in pain and fury and faced his attackers. A man, looking no older than 20, with a long black plait and red eyes stood in the air, wheels near his feet. Another man, looking more like a monster and less like a human, floated on a cloud above, looking content on just watching the oncoming battle.   
  
     "That was cheep," hissed Inuyasha, cracking his knuckles.   
  
     In the background, he heard Kaede chanting and Kagome's breath before she followed the elder woman's séance. Myouga leapt to Inuyasha's shoulder as the attacker spoke, raising his staff into the air.   
  
     "You are the hanyou Inuyasha?"   
  
     "Keh! Yeah, what's it to ya?"   
  
     Myouga spoke up, "These two must be the Thunder Brothers, Hiten and Manten."   
  
     "Thunder Brothers?" Inuyasha repeated.   
  
     "They use thunder magic to get their way, and it's said to be very powerful," Mouga said.   
  
     "Where is the Shikon no Tama?" the first man asked.   
  
******   
  
     Kagome was falling, farther and farther into the darkness, falling into a blackness unlike any other she'd seen. Then, there it was; the pale glow of pink in the endless abyss floated in the distance. She tried to swim toward it... Her hands wouldn't move, nor her feet. She was bound together by some unseen force and it was pulling her down.   
  
     The Shikon no Tama was just out of her reach, just barely. _'Another inch, that's all,'_ her mind grunted with the effort to move. _'Another inch... Move...!'_   
  
     And the Shikon rose above her head as she fell further. She was losing another battle, just like with Yura... And just like with Yura, Kagome was giving up hope... But, unlike then, he never came to her rescue, he never came for the Shikon, he never came-   
  
     A sudden shock ran through her body. A flash of lightening appeared before her, blinding her as one thought entered her mind. Inuyasha was in danger- She was in danger. She wanted to scream, wanted to warn him... Someone was coming for the Shikon no Tama...! And that someone was powerful enough to pull her from the depths of her sleep.   
  
     "Run," she heard herself say. Her eyes opened and she found herself looking into amber eyes. "Run! They-"   
  
     Kaede burst through the thatched doorway, panicked. "Kagome, calm down," the elder miko ordered. She looked disheveled, though relieved in some small way. "You mustn't use so much energy."   
  
     Kagome didn't listen, trying desperately to dislodge the smothering furs from around her. Inuyasha was in danger, and if he failed to live through it then no one was left to protect her... Though he was after the Shikon, he'd come to her aid once before, she was sure he wouldn't let her die now. He needed to know!   
  
     "Inuyasha, watch out!" She screamed as two figures appeared in the sky. "They're here-"   
  
     Her words were choked off by a feral cry as lightening struck Inuyasha from the staff the human-like youkai held. The hanyou was furious, snarling as he had when his brother had attacked him. He had her full attention as they shouted insults and questions.   
  
     Her attention failed as a new sensation was felt. In her clenched fingers, which had turned a pure white, was a cold sphere. The pink glow of the Shikon no Tama shown through her hand...   
  
     He hadn't taken it...? Why not? He'd chased her down- twice- for the sacred orb and, given the chance when she was so close to death, hadn't taken it... And had truly saved her from certain death for the second time.   
  
     What... had compelled him to do so..?   
  
     She gasped when a new weight was added to her. Looking for the source, she found Kaede chanting in a steady beat, her voice at its lowest.   
  
     "Ner hen do su ka, Ner hen do su youi, Ner hen do su ti, Ner hen do su nai," she droned.   
  
     Kagome didn't understand any of what she said, but followed the words in her mind.   
  
     "Ner hen do ku ne, Ner hen do ku pa, Ner hen do ku laeii, Ner hen do ku miaku," Kaede continued.   
  
     Slowly, Kagome felt the barrier around her strengthen, then understood. Kaede was forming another barrier to surround her and the jewel, to seal them from sight. Kagome picked up on the spell and spoke it with her, concentrating on blocking out the voices around her.   
  
     "Kagome, don't use more power than you have," the elder woman said beneath her breath. The chanting didn't cease, though. Instead, it eerily continued as the woman spoke to Kagome. "The barrier is strong enough now. However, you must stay where you are. Stay still."   
  
     She took the advice, opening her eyes to watch as Inuyasha tried to defend himself with no weapons in reaching distance...   
  
     The fight was one sided.   
  
     "Kaede," Kagome whispered. "Is he... Will he be okay?"   
  
     "... I do not know, child. He does not tire easily."   
  
     _'She has doubts... He isn't invincible,'_ she thought helplessly. _'How am I to help?'_   
  
******   
  
     Hiten smirked as the hanyou leapt from the ground to strike at him. Bringing Raigekijin down in a slicing motion, he successfully sent Inuyasha to the ground.   
  
     "What was that?" Hiten sneered. "You won't lay a finger on me with those petty attacks. I was hoping for a fair fight."   
  
     "Fair?" Inuyasha repeated. "How is striking someone in the back fair!?"   
  
     "Whine away, puppy," he chuckled, lunging to the now up-right hanyou. "You'll die in the end, anyway!"   
  
     "Just keep on talking," Inuyasha barked, smirking as the youkai lunged forward. "Defense isn't my style!"   
  
     When Hiten brought Raigekijin down to meet his opponent's head, Inuyasha shoved his body up and under the man, shouldering him in the stomach. The impact threw him back into the air. He lunged again, watching for the slightest change in the hanyou's stance. However, he found himself fighting to press Inuyasha into the ground when he had grabbed the staff and shoved it back.   
  
     "Hiten-anchan," Manten called from above. "Should I help?"   
  
     "Find the Shikon no Tama, Manten," Hiten called, watching his brother from the corner of his eye, maintaining focus on Inuyasha.   
  
     _'What powers him so, this lowly hanyou?'_   
  
******   
  
     "Find the Shikon no Tama, Manten," Kagome heard Hiten command.   
  
     His brother, the monster-like youkai, flew around the village in a circle, destroying each hut he passed with a beam of lightening. Kaede gasped beside the young miko. When she stood to leave, Kagome knew she couldn't just sit back anymore. Innocent people were dying!   
  
     "Kaede-baachan, let me help!" she yelled, jumping to her feet. "I can help, just tell me what to do."   
  
     Kaede stopped in her tracks.   
  
******   
  
     Kaede felt the barrier give way as the younger woman sprung to her feet. She shouldn't have moved! It broke her only defense!   
  
******   
  
     Hiten saw a shift in the background, almost like another person had teleported to the area...   
  
     "Manten, this hut!"   
  
     Inuyasha started, casting a look over his shoulder. With the element of surprise in his favor, Hiten pressed back against the hanyou and sent him flying straight back into the said hut, which repelled him. A barrier...?   
  
     He watched the occupants in the hut. The younger of the two was pleading to help as the elder eyed Hiten with a small amount of fear and anticipation.   
  
     "Hand over the jewel," he growled, approaching the housing, "or witness the death of the villagers."   
  
     "You..!" the young woman shouted. "You filthy, horrid... BEAST!"   
  
     Hiten's eyes narrowed. He had never heard such words from a woman before- and she would pay for directing them at him! How dare she...!   
  
     "You'll sink low enough to kill innocent villagers- I thought you wanted a fair fight!" she fumed, glaring at the man.   
  
     "... I won't find a fair fight here," Hiten hissed, flying toward the hut and knocking the hanyou aside with ease to better see through the window. "Unless you think you could defeat me."   
  
     Manten laughed in the background as Inuyasha charged him. Both stopped as a softest of replies was heard.   
  
     "Of course I can."   
  
******   
  
     Inuyasha didn't know what hit him, but it hit him full force as he heard the words spoken so quietly from the sealed away miko. She was fragile AND stupid! There was no way she could win! She wouldn't even be able to stall for time enough to save anyone...   
  
     Whatever she was planning, it was suicidal.   
  
     "If you want a fair fight, go to the clearing of the Bone Eating well," Kagome stated. "Inuyasha and I will be more than prepared enough."   
  
     ...What was she up to?   
  
     "I don't think that's a good idea," Inuyasha muttered. "Just what are you planning?"   
  
     "I'm planning for us to win," Kagome said determinedly to the hanyou. "Fight us at the well and you'll have your fair fight."   
  
     "What does the well have to do with a fair fight?" Hiten asked, skeptically.   
  
******   
  
     Kagome's mind was racing for a feasible reason. Then it clicked. If power could be stored in a jewel... All she needed was Inuyasha's cooperation, though. He didn't necessarily have to help- he could run off with the jewel at any moment.   
  
     "When Inuyasha was sealed to the tree, Kaede stole his power and sealed it separately," Kagome began.   
  
     Hiten caught on. "She stored his true power in the well... Hmmm... Sounds interesting."   
  
     Kagome watched as Inuyasha thought through what she said and Hiten processed the information. Manten watched his brother's reaction with anticipation. Kaede placed a gentle hand on the younger miko's shoulder. Kagome turned to the woman.   
  
     "Here," she said, thrusting a bow and quiver of arrows at the girl. "I trust you know what you're doing, child?"   
  
     "Hai, I believe so... But, I've never used a bow..."   
  
     "Take it, nonetheless."   
  
     Taking the offered weapon with a nod, Kagome left the hut to stand beside Inuyasha. Her legs quivered. He could easily reach over and pluck the jewel from her grasp... However, he refused to do so much as look in her direction.   
  
******   
  
     Hiten was intrigued. The woman insulted him, then challenged him... She would die a very slow death, then. After she watched her hanyou pup yelp in pain and life fade from his eyes, of course.   
  
     He smirked and led the way to the soon-to-be battle field. Manten took up the rear to watch for any suspicious actions. There was no way out of this one sided battle for the Shikon no Tama, except for in the hands of Hiten, of course. Well, fate might not have chosen today to be crystal clear...   
  
     Manten laughed in the background. "Anchan, let me have the woman after the battle! She would be perfect for my hair potion."   
  
     "Eh?!" the girl exclaimed, clutching the jewel tighter in confusion. "W-What to do you mean, 'have' me?"   
  
     "Of course, Manten," Hiten stated, flying into the appointed clearing.   
  
     The area was eerily still, not a living being in sight; no animals, no insects, no humans- save for the four that just entered. The center held a well atop a small incline. The well looked ancient, unused for ages. It helped create a scene of desolation and loneliness.   
  
     "Chotto! I asked you a question!" the woman yelled. "What do you mean he can 'have' me?"   
  
     Hiten turned to face her. A sneer found its place.   
  
     "Since you're so confident you'll win," he muttered, rushing forward, "then you don't have to worry!"   
  
******   
  
     Inuyasha jumped to her rescue, calming her fears about his cooperation. Kagome knew her plan was a suicide if anyone made a false move and off-set the scale. She would have to improvise now- and the bow was just what she needed. She silently thanked Kaede.   
  
     As Inuyasha thrust up and under the youkai's staff to knock the breath from the man's lungs, Kagome pulled back the bow and took aim. Never having held a bow in her life, the confused teen loosed an arrow to send it flying over Manten's head... And her aim had been three feet in front of her- Hiten.   
  
     Manten sat still for a moment before his mouth cracked in a grin to show lightening resting inside. He was going to use the beam he'd used earlier! She didn't think ahead for that...   
  
     Bug-eyed and staring, Kagome remained still (A/N: Is it me or does she do that a lot in the Anime?) and waited for the oncoming attack to hit her full force. Inuyasha came to her rescue once again and flung the older brother into the line of fire by way of a firm fist in his face. Hiten fell from the air with a cry of pain.   
  
     Kagome gasped, then turned to the hanyou who snorted in disgust.   
  
     "You got us into this, get us out, wench," he hissed.   
  
     She nodded and pulled back the bow string with an arrow notched in place. Taking aim once more- for Manten this time- she released her grip. It soared too low.   
  
     "What are you aiming at?" Inuyasha demanded. "You can't seriously be Kikyo's reincarnation."   
  
     "... Nani?"   
  
     "She was a marksman with the bow."   
  
     "Oh..." Kaede's choice of weapons made sense now.   
  
     Thinking his words through, she watched Hiten gather himself. The man was furious- lightening crackling around him with such power that the live grass beneath his feet caught flame. That last move, in his mind, was one deadly mistake they wouldn't live to make again.   
  
     She raised her arm once more to grab another arrow. One arrow left... How was one arrow going to help at all with two youkai facing them? _'What are we going to do?'_ Kagome questioned herself. _'The well... My plan...'_   
  
     "Inuyasha, the well!"   
  
******   
  
     "Inuyasha, the well!" the girl screamed, sprinting toward the structure.   
  
     "Stop where you are, bitch!" Hiten commanded. "You will pay dearly for what you have done!"   
  
     "Your brother attacked you, not her," Inuyasha hissed, sliding in his view to block the girl from harm. "You should place the blame where blame is due!"   
  
     "Die you hanyou bastard!"   
  
     As Hiten dived to assault the man once more, Kagome yelped and loosed her last arrow.   
  
@~{~@~{~@~{~@~{~@   
  
_you were there, smiling._   
  
@~{~@~{~@~{~@~{~@   
  
******   
  
A/N: Alright, that's it everyone! Next chapter should be up within the next month- or that is at least what I'm hoping for. Please, if you want an email for Taking the long way updates, then check my profile! It would help...   
  
Anyway, how was it? Good, bad, could be better? Comments, questions, suggestions, anything goes!   
  
Ja ne, minna! 


	5. Blood Loss and BloodLust

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...**   
  
A/N: Sorry for the space in between the updates. I've been busy... I really don't have any other reason, but the chapter's finally complete. I hope you enjoy it!   
  
Well, let's get on with the story.   
  
Translations for the day:   
Matte: Wait   
Onna: Woman   
  


**~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~   
Author: Sakura-chan88   
Title: Taking the Long Way   
Chapter: Blood Loss and Bloodlust   
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~**

  
  
    Inuyasha didn't understand it. The girl, Kagome, who had stopped running at the youkai's command had loosed her last arrow in order to stop the down-swing of his staff which had planned a course to thrust into the hanyou's left shoulder. She had used her last arrow to stave off an attack he couldn't have defended against. Now, she had nothing left to save herself with.   
  
    However, as the scene played through, Inuyasha found himself following the arrow that had deflected off of its target. Its path was clear as it soared through the air, gaining an odd pink glow around it...   
  
    The arrow found a new target. Hiten gasped in unison with Kagome and Inuyasha as the younger brother was pierced through the heart. Manten fell with a dull thud on the hard earth below; the cloud which had carried him dissolved into the air.   
  
******   
  
    Kagome couldn't believe it! She had hit her target- her intended target- and, with some unbelievable luck, she felled Manten... Now, she felt sick. Totally and utterly sick to her stomach. Sure, she hadn't meant to do it and it would keep them alive at least a little bit longer, but...   
  
     _'Iie... I didn't... I didn't just kill him,'_ she thought, raising a hand to her mouth as bile rose in her throat. _'Iie..!'_   
  
    When Hiten withdrew to be with his brother, Inuyasha walked over to her grabbing her wrist to draw her attention. She started slightly, then turned to look at him with watering eyes. She couldn't have...   
  
    A feral cry escaped the eldest Thunder Brother, confirming what Kagome had heatedly denied to herself. Manten was dead- either by the arrow or the fall. Which, it didn't matter. He was dead, and she was the cause. The same thought was running through Hiten's mind, for his attention was diverted solely to her.   
  
******   
  
    He felt the pain spread through his body like fire- no... Like ice as his brother faded before his eyes. It chilled him to the core, making everything even less bearable. The air on his skin scorched him, the staff in his hands felt like molten steel. Everything burned him as his heart turned crystalline by the cold, emptiness that flooded into his veins, becoming his very essence.   
  
    That girl had taken his brother from him! She was not going to live to brag of the day she had killed his Manten, his young blood brother whom had shared his entire life with him until now. Oh, no she wouldn't. She would die, bodyguard or no; she would perish in agony for so much heartbreak.   
  
    Bodyguard or no, she would die!   
  
    "Onna!" he bellowed, spinning to face the miko. "You'll meet your end here!"   
  
******   
  
    He was incredibly fast, approaching at a speed unmatched by anything she'd ever seen. He was in front of her in seconds as Inuyasha was tossed through the air. Unconsciously taking a step backwards, Kagome felt the wooden structure and the sense of relief that came with it...   
  
    If she was going to escape, she had to do it now!   
  
     "Matte!" She screamed in hopes to confuse Hiten.   
  
    Well, enraged youkai never bother to listen to a prey's final plea. Kagome's chance had come and she was a fraction too late to take it, but she took her chances and let herself tumble over the well's lip. She was hit in the side and hissed at the pain as the soothing blue light consumed her falling body.   
  
******   
  
    Hiten's speed alarmed Inuyasha. He'd gained so much power after Kagome's arrow struck his brother that Inuyasha's preparation for the oncoming blow was not nearly up to par with the hit. With the wind knocked out of his lungs and no power to regain his footage, he listened helplessly to the soft hiss from Kagome and the sound of wood splintering in the background.   
  
    An odd sensation flooded his body at one thought... Kikyou was hurt- no, Kagome was hurt. He didn't understand why he thought of Kikyou, but did nonetheless. Still...   
  
    He lifted himself from the ground in anger at the feeling of rage that coursed through his body at the sharp intake of breath from the girl. He shouldn't feel like this! She needed to die anyway! She was the only thing standing between him and the freaking Shikon no Tama!   
  
    He surveyed the area with a wary eye as he sped toward the Thunder youkai, his fist connecting with the side of his face in a blur. "I'm your opponent, baka!"   
  
    Hiten took the hit at full force and was affectively knocked to the ground, his staff still imbedded in the well's edge from the previous down swing. Kagome was no where to be found, the scent of the Shikon no Tama was waning under the metallic smell of blood.   
  
    "You've met your end!" Inuyasha rasped, closing his hand around the youkai's staff. "And imagine that- with your own weapon."   
  
    "Think whatever you want, pup," Hiten muttered, glaring as he stood, regaining the wheels at his feet. "I've gotten revenge for my brother, now it's time to claim my prize."   
  
    "Wrong," Inuyasha smirked, bring the staff down to impale the advancing man. "The jewel's gone with the girl!"   
  
******   
  
    Hiten's mind was fuzzy, a red, blood-like haze covered his every thought. He moved unconsciously, watching his weapon be used against him. Raigekijin screamed to be rescued, taken from the hands of the stranger that now wielded it; the hanyou was impervious to the high pitched shrieks. The bladed staff continued to cry.   
  
    "The girl is at the bottom of that well, bleeding her pathetic mortal life away," Hiten hissed. "Don't try to fool yourself- she's going to die."   
  
    "Then I'll send you with her and claim what is rightfully mine," Inuyasha shouted, grunting as he swung the weapon around him, then upward from the ground to connect with his opponent. "You'll never feel that power- that's one promise I won't fail to keep!"   
  
    The jagged point sliced across his chest, flesh searing with heat from the electricity coursing through the offending object. Raigekijin moved with the contact to thrust farther in by pure instinct, the need for blood growing stronger. Hiten knew its cry all too well...   
  
     _'I should have known a weapon made by Kaijinbo wouldn't know friend from foe,'_ he mused, clamping his teeth together to hold back any verbal signs of agony.   
  
    Inuyasha didn't seem to react to the staff and moved with it without hesitation or thought of the way it clearly reverberated for want of bloodshed. Raigekijin no longer called for its owner as bloodlust took control.   
  
******   
  
    Kagome clutched her side, gritting her teeth as she climbed, single handedly, up the latter to get to her house, the Shikon pressed over the cut. Hiten's blade hadn't sliced deeply, but the power coursing through the weapon made the pain near unbearable upon contact. And her plan was foiled completely.   
  
    She'd meant to pull Inuyasha back with her and help them both, then send him back for a surprise attack on Hiten. Too late now...   
  
    She cringed as she fell over the lip of the well. Staggering on unlevel feet, she exited the well's shelter and fell at the buildings side. She wouldn't make it... She couldn't make it...   
  
    "Jiisan... Souta..." she whispered, dragging herself a bit further. "Jiisan! Souta! Mama..!"   
  
    The last name she uttered, pulled from her voice box as she collapsed completely, was that of a certain hanyou she prayed fate would aid in a battle against, not only an awful opponent with rage intoxicated power, but against immeasurable odds. "Inuyasha..."   
  
     _'I'm sorry... I... couldn't help...'_   
  
    "Kagome-neechan!"   
  
******   
  
    Souta threw his controller in disgust. His fighter had been obliterated with no trouble from the game's cheating son of a biscuit eating martial artist. No fair- getting a perfect on him, the head hancho and all time grand champion of Tekken 3!   
  
    "Souta! Let Buyo out," his mother called from down stairs.   
  
    Sighing, he left his console to oblige to his mother's wishes, grumbling about the obese blob that demanded free night time roam of the Shrine Grounds. Opening the door, he heard a faint voice call for him, then his mother, and ending with the newest person he'd come to meet.   
  
    Peering through the opening, he found his sister fallen a few steps from the Shrine's well house.   
  
    "Kagome-neechan!"   
  
    His shout brought his mother and grandfather to the door in curiosity. Upon seeing the teenage girl, both adults ran outside and to the Miko's side, frantically trying to awaken her.   
  
    Souta already knew it was useless...   
  
    He'd seen the blood on her blouse...   
  
******   
  
    Inuyasha was propelled forward, being both pushed by rage and tugged by the weapon he wielded. The object was powerful and called for blood. The passed few moments had found him fighting with less instinct as the blade commanded his actions, drawing life from his being.   
  
    As soon as he sliced Hiten in two, he'd through the staff into the deepest valley gorge.   
  
    The blade struck its victim in the stomach, then the cheek, and made another blow to the already abused and tattered remains of a shoulder. Hiten cried out again, his eyes fogging more with each hit. The electricity that entered his body zapped a bit of life from him with every succeeded attack.   
  
    Inuyasha was fighting a losing battle...   
  
    And it wasn't against the man...   
  
******   
  
    Hiten, no matter the hurt, was grinning inside, knowing that the bastard hanyou would die. It didn't mean a thing anymore if he saw the hanyou's defeat or not. His brother was to be avenged either way... Yet, the thought to give up and be killed never crossed his mind.   
  
    He dodged a series of assaults, just to be beaten seconds latter. Inuyasha was smirking, his eyes narrowed and his pupils dilated. The energy from the staff sprung in a bolt to spear Hiten through the heart, then another to go through his knee cap.   
  
    "I'm beginning to enjoy this," Inuyasha chuckled.   
  
    Slowly, ever so slowly, Hiten witnessed the swords youki seep in to mingle with the hanyou's, tasting its master's power to find it pleasing. That didn't bode well for the lightening youkai. A weapon that took to its wielder was like a child finding a stray and brining it home.   
  
    It was ready to play.   
  
    "You're just a hanyou bastard," Hiten hissed. "Just a scared pup being pulled in by the stench of rotting flesh, drooling over work that isn't your own."   
  
    "At least the work is done," sneered Inuyasha as Raigekijin launched forward and impaled the youkai heart.   
  
******   
  
    The man gasped, falling to his knees and grabbing the weapon in alarm. His hands were pulled down with him as the staff sliced through his entire body with no hitch. A soft breath was all that marked the fading man's departure to the next world.   
  
    Inuyasha smirked in satisfaction, willing his hand to release the shaft. It refused. It pulsed. It called for more. It willed his being to turn toward the nearest village. It desired more blood to be spilt and more hearts to fail as souls fled in free flight.   
  
    It wielded him.   
  
    Darkness shrouded his mind as he complied, slinging it over his shoulder and swiveling on a bare heel. He was numb; his thoughts, actions, feelings... all blended together in an oppressive blanket of the ever familiar graying hue. With nothing but the lust for blood coursing through to control a blanking shell, he moved forward on the quest for new prey.   
  
    He didn't get far before he found his next target.   
  
    It seemed the old hag Miko had decided it was about time to gather the villagers and see if they could, in any small way, aid the girl and hanyou in ridding Edo of the Thunder Beasts. Pity, they should know the girl was most likely dead... And the bitch took the Shikon with her...   
  
    "Inuyasha," the elderly woman called out as she pulled her horse to a stop and the following village men halted as well. "Where is Kagome?"   
  
     _'Kaede?'_ his mind recognized.   
  
    The staff in his hand pulsed with pleasure as it pulled from the man the understanding that another life was in its path. So, more blood to spill...   
  
    The hanyou's lips pulled into a sinister grin as one foot slid slowly in front of his body.   
  
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~   
  
A/N: Sorry the chapter is so short, but I really wanted to get it out for my birthday. I have some kind of problem that drives me to give as much as possible on my birthday- the day just seems so much brighter and cheerful! ^_^ But, *big sigh* alas, I have missed my mark and over shot by a few weeks. My birthday was the 15th of February... *Bigger sigh* Sorry, everyone. The next chapter should be up soon...   
  
Anyway, how was it? Good, bad, could be better? Comments, questions, suggestions, anything goes! Check my profile if you wish to receive an email specifically for 'Taking the Long Way' updates, k?   
  
Ja ne, minna! 


End file.
